Gun Blade

by Rick Scott

  “What are those?” I ask.

  “Auto-docs,” Lexi says. “Taking care of all those crashers. But we’ve got the track to ourselves now. It’s mostly just racing from here. Stay focused.”

  “Mostly?”

  “The Twins speed ahead for a reason,” Lexi says. “They’re the ones that activate the traps, I think. Be ready for anything!”

  Great…

  I press on the throttle, accelerating to top speed as I chase down the silver motorcycle a turn or so ahead of me. I’m not sure if I’m gaining or not, but behind me I see our distance increasing from the vehicles a few seconds back. One of the cars following us explodes and I catch Aiko zooming through the debris to catch up to us.

  Good. She made it through.

  The silver motorcycle ahead of me abruptly swerves and hits the brakes as an entire building suddenly collapses into the street. Holy crap! I do the same, aiming for the narrow gap of street left between the falling buildings and the other side of the road.

  “Tighten up!” Lexi shouts, slipping into single-file behind me.

  We blast through the falling debris, sand pelting my visor. When I emerge on the other side, I see the silver motorcycle slowing yet again, avoiding another obstacle that seems to have erupted straight out of the ground. I take advantage by speeding up and passing on the inside of the next corner.

  The rider gives me a nasty one-fingered gesture, before materializing a pistol in his hand. He opens fire and I blur through the first couple of shots with Evasive Maneuvers but he keeps on shooting, draining my HP. I nearly lose control, but Gilly quickly restores me with a Heal spell.

  Rembrandt opens fire, but the rider blurs within the saddle, taking no damage at all.

  “Bugger! He’s using Bullet Weave!”

  Viewed from the outside I can see now just how annoying that ability can be, but at least with Rembrandt shooting at him, he has to focus on dodging more than attacking. Eventually Killroy gives up on trying to hit me and faces ahead as we enter a corner in tandem.

  I hold the racing line and emerge neck and neck as we exit the turn and then accelerate down the straightaway hitting well over 200 MPH in just a few seconds. Killroy stows his gun and leans flat on his bike, inching ahead. As we approach the next corner Killroy leans in deep to close the door on me, forcing me to brake.

  Dang it!

  I curse inwardly as I’m about to get passed again, but then Aiko zooms in next to me.

  Becky casts Stun!

  Killroy is Stunned!

  I marvel as Becky casts the spell using both hands, balancing on the back of the speeding motorcycle with her legs only. Her tiny body slams forward as Aiko hits the brakes hard and I do the same as we enter the next turn, but Killroy is still Stunned.

  His motorcycle flies into the corner full speed, disintegrating before my eyes.

  Vehicle 13 has crashed out of the race!

  Becky defeats Killroy!

  Holy crap, I never thought to use stun like that!

  “Way to go, Becks!” Rembrandt cheers her on with a fist pump. “Brilliant one, love!”

  I punch the gas through the apex, the road now clear ahead of me. I check my position and see I’m in 4th place after the Twins and Axel. I need to make up a lot of ground to catch up to them.

  Becky suddenly cries out as a huge mound of debris falls into the street.

  Aiko uses Evasive Maneuvers.

  Aiko blurs through the first portions of the trap but then slides out once her ability wears off. Both she and Becky release sharp cries as they hit the asphalt hard.

  Vehicle 19 has crashed out of the race!

  I glance behind us and am relieved to see Becky hauling herself off the tarmac.

  “We’re ok!” she says as she casts a Great Heal spell on herself and Aiko. “Keep going!”

  “Let me take the lead,” Lexi says and pushes the buggy ahead of me. “Stay in my draft. I’ll pull you along with Top Gear to make up the ground when we hit the main straightaway. It’ll be your only chance for a win.”

  “Sounds good,” I say and settle into the more than familiar position of following behind Lexi’s buggy again. She plows ahead, narrowly avoiding obstacles and traps as they appear randomly on the course. Cars jut out of side streets and manhole covers shoot into the air from exploding gas mains. I have a whole new respect for Lexi’s skill as she swerves the buggy around them as if by a sixth sense, avoiding them before they even occur. I do my best to tuck in and follow after her, feeling almost relieved with her leading the charge.

  “Hang on, Reece!” she says as we exit the turn onto the main straightaway.

  Lexi uses Top Gear!

  Top speed, acceleration, and handling doubled for 30 seconds!

  The silver polygon skin covers the outer frame of the buggy as the exhaust explodes with six-foot-high flames. Lexi tears ahead and I have to use Punch It just to keep up with her. The air becomes deathly quiet as I slip inside the wake of the buggy and then I marvel as my speedometer shoots well past 300 MPH.

  “This is bloody sick, mate!” Rembrandt yells from behind me, ducking down despite still using his gyro-stabilize ability. My heartbeat soars as we kiss 350 and then Lexi’s ability finally runs out. I check our positioning as we cruise back to race-legal speeds and am shocked to see me now in 3rd place.

  Whoa what the…?

  1st Place Axel

  2nd Place Lexi

  3rd PlaceReece

  4th PlaceZulia

  5th PlaceZenji

  How did they fall back so far?

  I’m just about to ask Lexi the question when Rembrandt opens fire with his guns. “Bloody hell! Move it, Reece! Move it!”

  I use Punch It and speed ahead, fearful of what’s behind us. I glance back and see the massive black motorcycle of one of the Twins, Zulia, right on my tail. The skull-like face of Zenji zooms in to my side, both monsters blocking me in against the side of the road. Zenji then holds his palm towards me, firing a pulse of purple energy. I use Evasive Maneuvers immediately.

  Zenji uses Particle Blast!

  You use Evasive Maneuvers!

  You evade the attack!

  The blast goes through me and destroys a building to the side.

  Holy crap!

  Gilly stands in the back of the buggy and lets loose with a spell from her bow.

  Gilly uses Holy Shot!

  Zenji takes 300 Holy damage!

  The LM’s huge healthbar barely moves as Gilly continues to fires away at it with charged shots from her bow. Rembrandt shoots at both monsters at once, firing his weapons in an arc, one gun on Zulia at our tail, the other on Zenji to our side. This isn’t good. I don’t have Evasive Maneuvers to use again if they fire another blast.

  I spot an alleyway ahead, leading through the next corner. I lean on the throttle hard just as Zenji blasts at me with another beam.

  Zenji uses Particle Blast!

  You take 1224 Particle Damage!

  Rembrandt take 1224 Particle Damage!

  I cry out with bone-numbing pain as an unnatural chill fills my body. I nearly lose control as my bike takes a huge chunk of damage as well. We can’t take another hit like that! Warmth fills me as Gilly tops us back up with a Great Heal, but then both Twins look to her, raising their palms.

  Crap!

  “Follow me!” I shout at both of them with a War Cry.

  We enter the next turn, but instead of cornering I head straight, aiming for the narrow alleyway. The monsters scream in a sort of rage mixed with delight and start jostling for position between themselves, seeing which one of them will fit through the narrow passageway first. Zulia kicks Zenji’s bike to the side, sending him for a collision course into the side of the wall.

  The monster screams in rage as he’s about to hit, but then vanishes before he does so in a flash of nano-dust.

  I enter the alley and suddenly see him go from 4th place to 1st. What the heck…?

  “I think he just teleported!”r />
  “No time to worry about that, mate.” Rembrandt fires non-stop behind me as Zulia’s monstrous motorcycle chews through the alleyway behind us, destroying dumpsters and fire-escapes alike. “Just keep ahead of this bloody thing!”

  I use Punch It and narrowly keep our lead, threading the needle as I navigate with just inches to spare between the buildings.

  “Reece, go wide when you exit!” Lexi’s voice comes over the chat. “Hug the left wall!”

  I don’t understand what she’s saying but as the alleyway ends I do what she says and keep heading straight across the street before making a shallow turn to follow the track. Zulia emerges right after me and suddenly flies ahead as Lexi rams into her from behind.

  Lexi uses Battering Ram!

  Zulia takes 2134 damage!

  The huge bike careens forward, skidding across the track sideways. The demon somehow manages to maintain control, righting herself as she manhandles the vehicle like a bucking bronco. Rembrandt takes advantage and continues to pepper the LM in a constant stream of bullets. I ride one-handed and materialize my pistol in my left hand to do the same, crossing one forearm over the other to take my shot.

  You use Heavy Shot!

  Zulia takes 437 damage!

  But despite our efforts, the monster is barely down to 85%.

  “Try to push ahead!” Lexi shouts, shifting gears as she pulls along my inside. “Use the alleyways again. We’ll try and lead it around the long way.”

  She’s figuring to make herself a diversion, but what will it even matter if these things can cheat and teleport like that? We need to stop them some other way, force them to literally crash off the track.

  Zulia retaliates, firing energy bolts into the buggy.

  Zulia uses Pulse Wave!

  Lexi takes 897 damage!

  Gilly takes 897 damage!

  Gilly casts a Great Heal and tops them back up again, just in time to take another blast. I negotiate the next turn and yell with a War Cry. “Stay on me!”

  But Gilly’s healing too much, drawing way too much hate for me to overcome.

  I’ve got to try something else.

  I let go of the handle bars and buff myself in double-quick time: Shadow Copy, Shadow Haste, and Shadow Tendrils. “Rem, take control for a second!”

  “What?”

  I ignore my self-preservation instinct as I cast Shadow Cloak and then launch into Zulia at a combined speed of 250 MPH. The tarmac speeds by as I slam my kunai into the monster’s forehead, feeling the satisfying burst of extra damage from the momentum-fueled hit.

  Critical Hit!

  You Backstab Zulia for 3462(893) damage!

  Zulia is Stunned!

  Before I even finish the attack, I animation-cancel, using Retreat to backflip onto my motorcycle again. The entire maneuver takes less than a second and even Rembrandt seems surprised to see me return so quickly.

  Zulia cries out as the corner comes rushing at her, unable to turn with the stun. It’s the same move Becky pulled off, but I’m not sure if it will work on an LM. The demon gets within an inch of the wall and vanishes in a flash of nano-dust.

  Crap!

  I check the score board and see her back in second place again.

  “How am I supposed to beat these things?”

  “Just keep pushing!” Lexi says. “Use the shortcuts! Race!”

  Her words cause me to focus. There’s not much track left, but after racing on this thing non-stop for the past two days, I know it as well as anything. Something clicks in my mind and I realize that it’s really no different than learning an attack pattern to tank a mob. Despite all the random obstacles and traps, I know the routes that will save me time, that will lead me ahead if I take the risks.

  “Hang on, Rem!” I shout, keying the bike into off-road mode. “We’re gonna do a little flying.”

  “We’re what?”

  I barrel through the course, taking leaps of faith wherever I can, cutting whole corners and sections as my tires leave the tarmac and kiss the sky. Rembrandt screams like I’ve never heard him do before, actually grabbing onto me even with his ability on.

  “Bloody hell, mate! I didn’t sign up for this!”

  But it’s working. I’m inching ahead, the small dots of Zenji, Zulia, and Axel right around the next corner. I speed through, hitting Punch It every chance I get. Finally Axel comes within view, ducking the breeze as he sits low in the recessed seat of his chopper-style bike. He glances back a second, noticing me and then tosses something over his shoulder.

  I use Evasive Maneuvers reflexively, unsure what it is.

  The thing explodes with a surge of lightning and I phase through it unharmed, my bike blurring with nano-dust. Axel hits the brakes, slowing down to me and whips one of his arms towards me. Long steel chains flash and tangle around my handlebars.

  Crap!

  He yanks the chain and my bike nearly pulls free from my grasp. I grunt as I resist, taking every bit of my Agility, Dex and Strength to remain upright.

  Your Motorcycle increases by 0.8.

  Skill UP! Your Motorcycle is now 137!

  Rembrandt opens fire on him up close, but he takes the hits without even trying to dodge, his heavy armor soaking up most of the damage. Axel then materializes a shotgun in his free hand and fires back. The thing explodes with the force of a grenade going off, shredding my eardrums and my skin as the pellets go flying.

  Axel uses Point-Blank Shot!

  Damage Quadrupled within 25% of max range.

  You take 856(906) Shrapnel damage!

  Rembrandt takes 745(943) Shrapnel damage!

  The knockback sends Rembrandt rocking back on his heels and he tumbles backwards as his gyro-stability appears to be overcome. He cries out, flailing his arms and I switch hands on the throttle to reach back for him. “I got you, Rem!”

  I catch him just in time, grasping his coat sleeve, but I’m in one heck of a predicament now.

  I’m still doing well over a hundred, tethered to a maniac, my arms crossed with one hand on the throttle and the other clinging to Rembrandt.

  Axel bursts into callous laughter. “You’re done now, you bloody punter!”

  He pulls the chain again and I struggle to keep the bike upright as we careen towards him. I lean forward, still grasping Rembrandt as the cyberpunker desperately tries to climb back up, his legs scraping the ground. I use the close proximity to my advantage and kick back and upwards with my left foot, nailing Axel in the jaw.

  You hit Axel for 24(242) damage!

  It doesn’t do much damage, but the attack surprises him enough for him to slacken up on the chain and I use the opportunity to pull Rembrandt back into the saddle. We’re both sitting in the red at 30%. One more shotgun blast and we’re through! I tug at the chain, trying to unwrap it from my handlebars, but the links are knotted to no end.

  “You’re gonna pay for that one, mate! Along with everything else!”

  I still don’t even understand this guy!

  “What everything else?” I fire back at him. “I don’t even know you, man! You realize what we’re fighting for here? Get the hell out of my way!”

  Anger takes over as I materialize my kunai and instead of trying to get away, I lean right in and slash at him with rapid animation-canceled attacks.

  You hit Axel for 337(445) damage!

  You hit Axel for 342(463) damage!

  You hit Axel for 358(487) damage!

  His armor is thick as heck, but my melee weapon seems to have some natural piercing effect against it, shaving the armor value in half. The result must surprise Axel as well, because he tries to get away from me then, unlashing the chain.

  He kicks the side of my motorcycle, trying to knock us down.

  “Hey, punter,” Rembrandt says coolly from behind me. “Eat this!”

  A massive crack of thunder goes off and half of Axel’s bike explodes.

  Rembrandt uses Point-Blank Shot!

  Axel takes 613(1234) damage!

/>   The chain goes flying as Axel loses control, nearly dumping the bike as the engine loses power, but his Motorcycle skill must be incredibly high because he manages to hang on. He lets out a curse as I pull ahead and flip him the bird.

  “How’s that for payback, you prick!”

  Vehicle 1 has crashed out of the race!

  A sense of relief and elation fills me as I watch Axel’s bike roll off to the side of the road, powerless, growing small in my rearview as I hop back on the throttle. Good riddance. I check the ranking and see I’m in third place with Lexi trailing a good distance behind me.

  I could sure use one of Gilly’s heals, but there’s no time to let her catch up. If I’m going to win this, I need to make my move now.

  “Hang tight, Rem,” I say. “We’re almost to the finish.”

  I speed through the final corner and come to the familiar last stretch. I spot Zulia and Zenji speeding ahead, just about to enter the last chicane. There’s no way I can catch up to them, not by normal means. Whatever happens next, I’ll be in Gilly’s hands and whatever modifications she made to the suspension last night.

  Please let them be good enough…!

  I use Punch It and duck the breeze, aiming for the thin beam of metal at the head of the chicane. Zulia and Zenji glance over their shoulders, eyeing me with their cold black eyes. The sight of me must spur them on and they duck back forward, fighting each other for first place.

  “Hold tight, Rem! This is going to be crazy!”

  I hit the ramp and use Punch It one last time, nearly draining my TP. The bike leaves the ground with a roar from the engine, causing both LMs to glance up at me. But I don’t go nearly as high or as fast as I did before.